When covered in road slush and dirt, the Scion xD is difficult to drive.

Chris O'Leary, Postmedia News

The 2011 Scion xD.

Chris O'Leary, Postmedia News

scionxd_002.jpg

Chris O'Leary, Postmedia News

The 2011 Scion xD.

Chris O'Leary, Postmedia News

The 2011 Scion xD.

Chris O'Leary, Postmedia News

The 2011 Scion xD.

Chris O'Leary, Postmedia News

Scion xD, a box to take you from A to B

by
Chris O'Leary, Edmonton Journal | April 25, 2011

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Navigating rush hour traffic is always an adventure, regardless of what you’re driving. Entering the foray can often prove to be the most difficult part of it.

The animals of the concrete jungle that surround you are already in motion, an accepted, thriving part of the vehicular ecosystem. When you’re attempting to merge your way into the pack, you want to be as inconspicuous as possible.

Technically, it’s spring in Edmonton. So while there’s still an absurd amount of snow on the ground, the gradually increasing temperatures are melting it away. This makes the roadways a sometimes dusty, sometimes wet mess.

The Scion xD -the vehicle that you’re bringing into the chaotic herd -does little to help you here. With a rear-view window that looks to be about a foot tall and stretches across the back of the vehicle, it has accumulated a nice, thick layer of the city’s finest springtime offerings. The wiper on the rear window tick-tocks back and forth, clearing the trickling of washer fluid that has been dispensed downward. Great. You can now see about 20 per cent of what was already a limited view.

Making matters worse are the monstrous headrests perched atop the back seats. If you could see through the grime; even if you’ve squeegeed the window for the third time this week, the bulkiness of the headrests forces your eyes back to that little rainbowshaped clearing.

By now, you’re going at least 60, 70 km/hour. You’re running out of merge lane and you’re getting panicked. Short on both space and time, you check your mirrors, call on a higher power and merge.

That sums up my weeklong driving experience with the xD, one of Scion’s three current offerings in 2011.

The sister company of Toyota seems to miss the mark with this youth-oriented offering, despite the Toyota-esque goodness it has packed into its boxy exterior.

Similar in power to Toyota’s Corolla, the xD and its 1.8-litre, four-cylinder engine won’t do much to wow you when you step on the gas pedal.

The engine (128 horsepower and 125 pound-feet of torque) runs smoothly and is fuel friendly (7.4 L/100 km city, 5.9 highway, 6.7 combined), but it won’t turn any heads as it scoots down the street.

Far from a lead-footed driver, I’d be fine with the xD’s performance if I felt it gave me something else that made it stand out. At this point, a boxy-shaped vehicle has no novelty. Sit in a coffee shop on a busy street and watch how many of them drive by. You’ll see a Nissan Cube, a Kia Soul, the Honda Element, etc. Just about every manufacturer offers something comparable, and the xD does nothing to stand out.

The interior of the vehicle is adequate, but again, after a week of driving the xD, my socks remain firmly on my feet.

The dash and doors are a perforated-looking plastic material that’s supposed to resemble a carbon-fibre look.

Its likely a grab at younger drivers, but all I could think was how it would look in the long term, when the divots are magnets for dirt and reminders of spills past.

As the week wore on with the xD, I was waiting for something, anything, to jump out at me as a positive. I’m saddened to say that didn’t happen.

Save for the difficulty that is shoulder checking in the xD, there is nothing wrong with the vehicle’s performance. It’s not a gas burner, it has a funky look, and as Scion has stressed with its ads this year, it’s very customizable.

So maybe you could add some soul to an otherwise hollow vehicle to liven it up. I’ve always felt, though, that if I were buying a new car I shouldn’t have to immediately upgrade it to enjoy it.